Indicating device.



No. 706,528. Patented Aug. l2, I902.

c. A. CHRISTIAN.

INDICATING DEVICE.

(Application filed Apr. 4, 1901.)

(No Model.)

'WANTED- SUPPLIES B AMMONIA Z 1 1'1 i3 SMITHS BACON mum C BEANS CHOCOLATE 24- EGGS 5 SALT PEPPER B3 JONESFLOUR e 1.=

4, l3 BROWNS SOAP BLANKSTEA 'WITN- 5335s: INVENTOR i C/zarZeJ imuz zm ATTORN EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE:

CHARLES A. CHRISTIAN, OF EAST ORANGE, NE\V JERSEY.

lNDlCATING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 706,528, dated August 12, 1902.

Application filed April 4, 1901.

To (tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. CHRISTI AN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicating Devices, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

My invention relates, broadly, to an indicating device, and particularly to a device which shall contain a list of commodities which may be needed in a household, so that the commodities which it is desired to order may be conveniently indicated, and in my preferred construction when the needed commodities are indicated an advertisement of a particular brand of each commodity will also be displayed.

In the device illustrated in the drawings I have shown a row of indicators attached to a support, each of which has the name of a commodity on an exposed face and also on a concealed face thereof, these indicators being movable on said support independently of each other, whereby the formerly-concealed faces, with the names of the commodities thereon, may be exposed in another row.

My invention will be hereinafter particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings showing the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 represents a front elevation, the normal position of some of the indicators being shown in dotted lines; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a detail.

In the drawings, A represents a base, preferably of sheet metal, which I may employ, and B B B 850., are a plurality of indicators arranged in a row-in this embodiment a plurality of arms arranged in a perpendicular row. I do not limit myself to the shape or arrangement disclosed herein; but I preferably make the indicators from light sheet metal and of the shape illustrated. Each of these indicators has the name of a commodity thereon, preferably such as are most often used in ahousehold. Some of such commodities have been indicated in the drawings; but it will be obvious that these may be changed as desired. The name of the commodity may be placed on the front face-that is, the normally-exposed portion of the indicator-and the name of the same commodity may be Serial No. 54,296. (No model.)

placed on a face of said indicator which is normally concealed, preferably the rear or opposite face thereof, as indicated on the arm 13*. The arms normally lie in a row, in the present embodiment in a vertical row, as indicated at the right of Fig. 1,preferably with the ends of the arms projecting beyond the base A, as indicated, so that they may be easily grasped by the fingers. When it is desired to indicate that certain commodities are needed, the arms bearing the names of those commodities may be shifted independently of the other arms,so that the formerly-concealed faces having the names of the commodities thereon will be exposed in another row. In the present embodiment I accomplish this result by pivoting the arms to a suitable support-for instance, by turning over the inner ends of the arms, as indicated at b in Fig. 2, around a supporting-wire C, which is held between lips D D, struck up from the base A. hen the arms B B B and B are turned over on their pivots from the normal positions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to the posi-- tions shown in full lines, the arms will lie in another row with the rear faces exposed, and will thus clearly indicate at a glance what commodities should be ordered.

If desired, the front or normally exposed faces of the indicators may bear merely the names of the commodities-for instance, the word Soap, as indicated on B in Fig. 1 and the concealed face of the indicator may bear the same word, together with the name of a vendor of said commodity, such as Blanks soap. By such a construction an advertisement of a special brand of such commodity will be displayed whenever the same is needed for ordering.

It will be obvious that many changes may be made in the construction herein disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not limit myself to the embodiment herein described and illustrated.

hat I claim is- 1. In an indicating device in combination a support, a row of indicatorsattached thereto, each of said indicators having the name of a commodity on an exposed face and also on a concealed face thereof, said indicators being movable on said support independently of each other whereby said formerly-concealed faces having the names of the commodities thereon may be exposed in another row.

2. In an indicating device in combination a support, a row of indicators attached thereto, each of said indicators having the name of a commodity on an exposed face and also on a concealed face thereof, said indicators being pivoted to said support independently of each other whereby said formerly-concealed faces with the names of the commodities thereon may be exposed in another row.

In an indicating device in combination a support, a row of indicator-arms, each of said arms having the name of a commodity on the frontface and also on the rear face thereof but reading in the contrary direction, each of said arms being pivoted at one side only to said support whereby said arms may be turned on their pivots independently of each other and caused to lie in another row with the rear faces thereof exposed.

4. In an indicating device in combination a support, a row of indicator-arms, each of said arms being pivoted at one side only to said support whereby said arms may be turned on their pivots independently of each other and caused to lie in another row with the rear faces thereof exposed, each of said arms having the name of a commodity on the front face thereof and the name of the same commodity on the rear face but reading in the contrary direction whereby the names of said commodities will be exposed in either position of said arms.

5. In an indicating device in combination a base, a support thereon, a row of indicatorarms, each of said arms having the name of a commodity on the front face and also on the rear face thereof, each of said arms being pivoted at one side only to said support and at the opposite end extending beyond said base, whereby said arms may be grasped and turned on their pivots independently of each other and caused to lie in another row with the rear faces thereof exposed.

6. In an indicating device in combination a support, a row of indicators attached thereto, each of said indicators having the'name of a commodity Without the name of a vendor on an exposed face thereof, some of said indicators also having on a concealed face thereof the name of the same commodity together with the name of a vender of said commodity, said indicators being movable on said support independently of each other whereby said formerly-concealed faces may be exposed in another row.

'7. In an indicating device in combination a support, a roW of indicator-arms, each of said arms having the name of a commodity without the name of a vender on the front face thereof, and some of said arms also having on the rear face the name of the same commodity but reading in the contrary direction together with the name of a vender of said commodity, each of said arms being pivoted at one side only to said support whereby said arms may be turned on their pivots independently of each other and caused to lie in another row with said rear faces thereof exposed.

8. In an indicating device in combination a base of sheet metal, a row of arms, a sup port for said arms consisting of a wire held 011 said base, each of said arms being pivoted at one side only to said wire and at the opposite end extending beyond said base whereby said arms may be grasped and turned on said pivots independently of each other and caused to lie in another row with the rear faces thereof exposed, each of said arms having the name of a commodity without the name of a vender on the front face thereof, and some of said arms also having on the rear face thereof the name of the same commodity together with the name of a vender of said com modity,wherehy merely the names of the commodities appear in one row, and the names of said commodities together with the names of the vendors of the same appear in the other row when said arms are turned on said pivots as specified.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 2d day of April, 1901.

CHARLES A. CHRISTIAN. Witnesses:

EMERSON R. NEWELL, JOSEPH E. DIAMOND. 

